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Vietnamese movie wins Special Jury Award at 71st Berlinale

March 5, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

A scene of “Vi” (Source: cineuropa.org)

Berlin (VNA) – Vietnamese movie “Vi” (Taste) by director Le Bao has surpassed 11 other films to win the Special Jury Award in Encounters category – a competitive section devoted to new cinematic vision – at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).

“Vi” is the only Vietnamese movie to join the festival, which takes place in two stages, from March 1 to 5 and from June 9 to 20, 2021.

“Vi” is about a Nigerian football player playing in the Vietnamese football league. After he breaks his leg, he is forced to leave the team and find a job in a sex parlour to provide for his wife and son back home.

Bao got the idea for the film years ago based on his high-school memories. At that time, he saw black men on buses while going to school. Bao was obsessed by these men who seemed to have overcome some significant challenges.

First-time filmmaker Bao has composed a delicate, sensory meditation that conjures up many a thought in the viewer’s mind.

In “Vi” the actors are amateurs, including the call girls.

Earlier, the film won the “Most Potential Project” award at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2020.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Berlinale has developed a new festival format for its 71st edition and is delighted to thus be able to hold the festival for both the industry and the general public.

From June 9-20, the Summer Special will give the general public the opportunity to see the majority of the 2021 selected films in Berlin cinemas in the presence of filmmakers./.

VNA

COVID-19 vaccinations must be safe, effective: Deputy PM

March 5, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

The Deputy PM, who is also head of the Steering Committee, stressed that safety must be as high as possible and that if something goes wrong it must be handled calmly.

Though COVID-19 has been largely brought under control in Vietnam, relevant agencies must continue to maintain readiness and vigilance, he said.

Deputy PM Dam called on people to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s “5K” message: Khau trang (facemasks) – Khu khuan (disinfecting) – Khoang cach (distancing) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).

Schools, health facilities, factories, markets, supermarkets, and accommodation establishments, he went on, need to actively self-assess their safety level in disease prevention and control and update information on the COVID-19 Safe Living Map System (www.antoancovid.vn).

He praised the efforts of the ministry in accessing foreign sources of COVID-19 vaccines and promoting vaccine research and production in the country.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for organising vaccinations in a safe and effective manner and promoting communications to raise public awareness.

He underlined the need to accelerate domestic vaccine research, production, and testing, noting that these must comply with all steps in the fastest time possible.

Vietnam is expected to have sufficient vaccines for 100 million people if research and development is successful, he said, adding that this is an opportunity for the country to lift its vaccine research capacity to a new level, enabling it to respond to other diseases that may strike in the future.

The Deputy PM also ordered the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to urgently build and issue relevant instructions and guidelines to create favourable conditions for those that have been given COVID-19 vaccines abroad to enter Vietnam.

The restoration of Da Lat’s abandoned monastery

March 5, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

Residents and tourists alike have shared their disappointment over the removal of large portions of the Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie – an abandoned monastery in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat – during the site’s renovation.

Spanning more than seven hectares, the chapel and residential quarters of Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie sit between Tran Quang Dieu and Hung Vuong Streets in Da Lat, which is the capital of Lam Dong Province.

For years, the iconic chapel has been an inspiration for Vietnamese artists and photographers, being reimagined in countless works of art.

The mission is located in an area surrounded by pine trees near the center of Da Lat. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

A ruined complex

According to writer Nguyen Vinh Nguyen, the Benedictine complex was designed and built by French architects Alexandre Leonard and Paul Veysseyre in the late 30s and early 40s, marking the onset of Benedictine missionaries from the West making their way to Vietnam.

In 1954, these missionaries left the complex in the hands of Franciscans nuns before moving to Hue in the central region to set up the Thien An Monastery.

In the following years, the nuns enlisted Vietnamese architect Pham Khanh Chu to design additional classrooms behind the existing complex.

According to Tran Ngoc Trac, former head of Lam Dong Province Arts and Literature Association, the mission was known as Viet Nu Commercial School in 1969.

In 1979, the seven-hectare complex was handed over to the government.

Machines are brought to the mission to remove severely destroyed areas. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Over the following decades, the school’s two classroom blocks and residential building served as the province’s supplementary school, then as the Lam Vien Hotel, and eventually Tran Phu High School.

In the 1980s, another building was built between the two blocks.

The chapel and monastery were next used as a warehouse, sports hall, and residential structure.

It was eventually abandoned for several years before becoming a campus of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.

At one point, nearly 20 families illegally occupied the chapel but were eventually forced out by local authorities.

Inside the main chapel. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Pulling out all the stops

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, which currently manages the complex, said it has plans to restore the site.

“We are doing our best to preserve the monastery’s artistic value,” said the school’s representative.

“We expect it to be a landmark of the university’s Da Lat campus in which potential architects from the Central Highlands and neighbouring areas are trained.”

Plans on the renovation include a new amphitheater being built in the complex and the restoration of dilapidated structures.

The chapel will be transformed into a library and meeting hall which will host architecture and art workshops, while the residential structures will be used as boarding houses for lecturers.

The residential building’s roof is removed for restoration. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

“We decided to restore the existing constructions of the chapel and residential structure though they are not listed in the government’s compulsory reservation scheme,” the university told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“We see the complex as a meaningful and valuable heritage site.

“Restoring costs much more than rebuilding but we must protect this significant landmark.”

The monastery’s façade has been reimagined in many pieces of art. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

The right decision

Although the monastery is not classified as a relic or included in the list of reserved buildings by the government, it is highly appreciated by architects for its architectural value, according to architect Le Tu, head of Lam Dong Province Association of Architects.

On a purely legal basis, it is permissible to demolish the complex built atop the land, yet the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture chose a much more challenging and noteworthy solution.

It is too early to comment on the project’s impact, yet it does open the door for discussions on how Da Lat’s old villas should be managed and used to preserve the old town’s atmosphere.

As Tu sees it, if all precious villas are lost or investors wait for them to be severely ruined as an excuse to tear them down, Da Lat’s heritage will slip away.

Restoring old villas is difficult.

Therefore, besides goodwill, investors must have plans in place to prevent unwanted incidents and ensure safety.

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Vietnam issues new national strategy on gender equality

March 5, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

The target was set forth in the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2021- 2030 period recently adopted by the government.

The strategy also defined a number of new goals for the country to further make progress in gender equality in various areas and fulfil its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Accordingly, the number of paid women employees in Vietnam will increase to 50 percent by 2025 and around 60 percent by 2030, while the percentage of women working in the agriculture sector among all employed women will decline to below 30 percent by 2025 and less than 25 percent by 2030.

The rate of female directors or owners of businesses is expected to reach at least 27 percent by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030.

The country also aims to reduce the average time women spend on doing the unpaid housework to 1.7 times by 2025 and 1.4 times by 2030 as compared to that of men.

By 2025, 80 percent of women suffering from domestic and gender-based violence will be given access to at least one of basic support services, and the figure is expected to reach 90 percent by 2030.

The sex ratio at birth will be 111 boys per 100 girls by 2025 and 109 boys per 100 girls by 2030. The maternal mortality rate will drop to 42 per 100,000 live births by 2025 and below 42 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

Gender and gender equality are planned to be integrated into curriculum at schools and pedagogical universities from 2025.

The country will hold a month-long campaign for the promotion of gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response from November 15 to December 15 every year.

Source: VNA

Da Nang by Night expected to revive tourism in central city

March 4, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Scheduled to begin at the upcoming Southern Liberation and National Reunification holiday (April 30), the programme will seek to create new distinctive tourism products so as to enhance the experience of tourists to the city.

The programme is the realisation of the city’s plan to develop its night-time economy and will be piloted from 2021 to 2023.

Da Nang by Night targets foreign tourists from key markets such as China, the Republic of Korea and Southeast Asia, as well as those from potential markets such as Russia, Australia and the US when the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control and international routes are permitted to resume.

It will also aim to attract domestic tourists from places with direct flights to Da Nang, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, the Central Highlands and neighbouring provinces.

The programme will include lighting shows, night-time tourism and service activities at selected places of interest, the night beach of My An, and cultural events along the Han River such as street dances, music, food and traditional arts.

There will also be night tours on the Han River and between Da Nang and Hoi An.

As part of the programme, there will be happy hours where tourists can enjoy special discounts at local shops, supermarkets, shopping centres and restaurants in order to boost demand after 10pm.